Aerial ferry.



PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

= s. B. HARDING. AERIAL FERRY.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12,1905.

witnesses nus NDRRIS PETER5 ca. WASHINGTONrD. c.

ferry. At some UNITED srnrns PATENT OFFICE.

AERIAL FERRY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906,

Application filed July 12,1906. Serial No 325,816.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. HARDING, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, have invented an Aerial Ferry, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of devices which is used to span streams, inlets, and other locations where owing to various conditions a bridge in the proper sense of the word is not possible or desirable as, for eX- ample, in locations where the requirements of navigation forbid a bridge under a certain height, while, on the other hand, the nature of the banks on either side thereof make a lofty bridge unapproachable, and. thus impracticable. In such cases there may be a raised structure spanning the stream or inlet and a suspended car traveling thereon and having a passenger-floor at such a level that it is easily boarded from the banks.

My present invention has for its object to improve this class of devices by so shortening the aerial car-traveling span that the minimum of material may be needed therefor and at the same time the car itself may have a minimum distance to travel. I also design to anchor the aerial or raised span upon certain approach-spans, which form a part of my invention, on the cantaliver plan, thus relieving a part of the stress which would normally come upon the center of the aerial span and make the same by so much lighter.

My invention as carried out may provide either for an entire balancing of the two halves of the aerial span on the full cantaliver principle or of a partial balancing thereof, as maybe desired.

In the drawings I have illustrated an aerial ferry built in both ways, Figure 1 representing the latter in full side elevation, and Fig. 2 representing the former in partial side elevation. Fig. 3 is an end view of the form shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawings every reference character refers always to the same part.

The reference-letter A designates the gulfsuch as a river, inlet, estuary, harbor-entrance, or the like-across which the aerial ferry is to be built, and the letter B designates the portions of the highway on either side thereof, which are connected by the point in mid-stream I erect a pair of towers O on masonry piers D, these towers carrying the elevated span E, which is sufficiently high to permit the passage of vessels, such as S, and is provided with a runcourse preclude the way 6, on which runs the ferry-car F, which, as shown, comprises a suspended framework f, depending from truck-beams f 2 and carrying at its lower end a passenger-platformfi.

My present invention comprises as elements thereof a pair of approach-spans G, which may be either truss or (as shown in Fig. 1) girder spans resting upon one of the piers D and the abutment H on the edge of the stream. My invention does not of use of a series of such approachspans, as where extensive meadows or flats are to be crossed, but those which lie immediate to the towers C are the only ones which are directly concerned and suffice to illustrate my construction. The truss E has small overhanging ends 6 as shown, which are connected by ties I to thespans G at a point between the two ends thereof, and in the ties I may be inserted, if found desirable, adjusting means, such as turnbuckles t.

' The ties I serve two important purposes namely, first, they serve as supports for the two ends of the truss during erection without false work and before they have been connected in the center, and, second, they serve as permanent anchors to carry a portion of the weight on the central span of the truss E over to the overhanging ends a on the cantaliver system.

In Fig. 1 it is destined to carry over only a portion of the weight of the loaded span, so that the maximum bending moment will still lie in the center of the span. In Fig. 2, however, the application of the full cantaliver principle is illustrated. This figure shows only one end of a ferry structure, the other end being substantially a duplicate thereof. The tower is herein designated C and carries a cantaliverspan E, one being carried on each tower and the two overhanging ends 6 meeting in the center. The tower G rests on suitable piers D, and it has at the base thereof a pair of frames J, whose ends are pinned to the bottom ends 0 of the inner pair of columns 0 of the tower, the whole resting on foot-plates 0 The frames J are connected by a trunnion j, on which is pivoted the end of the approach-span G, whose opposite end rests upon the abutment H but it is to be understood that only a sufficient part of the weight is carried by this abutment to insure permanent contact therewith. The cantaliverspan E has a small overhang e on the opposite side from 6 and it is connected by the tie I with a proper point on ITO ' two hal -towers as shown in the end view,

suspended frame f Fig. 3, which are united at the top by a crossframe 6 forming a part of the supportingtruss E or E, and the truss E is also open along its lower side to permit the car F to pass, the tramway being in this case located at e.

I have here provided, further, a special form of car which is arranged to economize material, while insuring a degree of strength and stability equal to former cars which were provided with a wider framework. The

is of comparatively narrow width in the axis of movement, carrying the wider baselatform f and also a wider wheel-base, in icated by the truck-beam f When the car reaches the end of its travel, the end of the platform f 5 will abut against one end. of the truss-span G and form a con tinuation of the roadway thereof, while the end of the truck-beam f will lie upon the projecting end 0 The larger car F (shown in Fig. 1) is of similar construction, as indicated, except that the truss-span Gr ends at the outer side of the tower C instead of in the center thereof. It will be seen that from this construction I obtain substantially the advantages of a full cantaliver with two separate trusses, whose weights are borne from the same pillar and lie on opposite sides thereof, and the present form of ferry offers a great advantage over previous forms, in that the raised portion extends over only a sufficient distance to permit the passage of vessels, which, in most'cases, is only a small part of the total width of the stream, and the further advantage gained thereby that the time of transfer across the ferry, as well as the power consumed thereby, is reduced to a minimum.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1; An aerial ferry comprising, in combination, an elevated span, means for supporting said span at two points on opposite sides of its center, said span having an end overhanging said supporting means, and an approachspan having a roadway and to which said overhanging end is anchored, whereby a portionof the stress on the center of said elevated span is relieved.

2. An aerial ferry comprising, in combination, an elevated tower, an elevated span supported thereon and overhanging said tower on opposite sides, an approach-span on one side of said tower having a roadway thereon, a connection between said approachspan and the corresponding. overhanging end of said elevated span whereby the opposite end of said elevated span is partly balanced upon said tower, and a ferry-car traveling on said elevated span and having a platform on the level of said roadway.

3. An aerial ferry, comprising, in combination, a pair of elevated towers, an elevated span supported thereon and having overhangin ends, approach-spans on the distant sides 0 said towers having roadways there on, and a suspended ferry-car traveling on said elevated span and having a platform ada ted to receive passengers from either of said approach-spans 4. In an aerial ferry, the combination of a tower located in a gulf, an elevated span supported on said tower at one point thereof, a runway carried on said span, a suspended car traveling on said runway, and an approach-span having a roadway thereon connecting said tower with the side of said gulf.

5. In an aerial ferry, tower located in a gulf, an elevated span supported on said tower at one point thereof, a runway carried on said span, a suspended car traveling on said runway, an approachspan having a roadway thereon connecting said tower with the side of said gulf, said elevated span having an overhanging end, and an anchor connection securing said overhanging end to said approach-span.

6. An aerial ferry comprising, in combination with a pair of towers located in a gulf, an elevated span supported on said towers, approach-spans on the distant sides of said towers having roadways thereon, a runway carried by said elevated span, and a ferrycar traveling on said runway between said approach-spans.-

7. An aerial ferry comprising, in combination with a pair of towers located in a gulf, an elevated span supported on said towers, approach-spans on the distant sides of said towers having roadways thereon, a runway carried by said elevated span, a ferry-car traveling on said runway between said approachspans, said elevated span having overhanging ends, and anchor connections from said overhanging ends to said approachspans.

8. In an aerial ferry, the combination of a tower composed of two half-towers separated in the center and connected at the top forming a bent, an elevated span carried on said tower, a runway mounted on said elevated span, a ferry-car traveling on said runway and passing through the opening in said tower, and an approach-span between said tower and the side of said gulf, said approachspan having a roadway thereon.

9. In an aerial ferry, the combination of a tower, a cantaliver-span mounted thereon, a runway on said span, a suspended ferry-car the combination of a traveling on said runway, an approach-span In witness whereof I have hereunto set my pivgted til thF base of said toweg anfd ex hand this 6th day of July, 1906. ten ing t ere rorn towar te si e 0 sai gulf, and a connection between said ap- HARDING 5 proach-span and the corresponding end of In presence of said cantaliver-span whereby the latter, is WALTER D. MAOHL ITT, balanced by the weight of the former. GEORGE W. COLLES. 

